The age-old challenge of cooling without harming our planet just got a major boost at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). A team of engineers has cracked a technical barrier in elastocaloric cooling, pushing the temperature lift to 75K – a 24.4K increase from the previous record of 50.6K. Here’s the nitty-gritty: The cooling system uses shape memory alloys (SMAs) made of nickel-titanium (NiTi) that undergo phase transitions to absorb or release heat. The team stacked three different NiTi alloys together, each tuned to work at specific temperatures – cold end, middle, and hot end. By matching each … Continue reading Cool 75K Temperature Lift Achieved: HKUST’s Eco-Friendly Elastocaloric Cooling Hits 48% Efficiency Without Harmful Refrigerants